2 dead, 1 wounded in shooting at Arkansas university

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 8:00 pm, Sunday, October 26, 2008

UCA police spokeswoman Lt. Rhonda Swindle said the shots were fired at a little after 9 p.m. Sunday near a dormitory. She said she could not say whether the victims were students, but she did say all three were male.

Swindle said the campus would remain locked down today and that classes have been canceled. She said she did not have any information about suspects, though the university police Web site said one person was in custody and three others were being sought.

Interim UCA President Tom Courtway said every precaution was being taken to ensure the safety of the students who remained in their dormitory rooms.

"The No. 1 responsibility is to make sure this campus is safe and that's what we're doing," Courtway said.

The campus was dark early Monday morning, though police cruisers with flashing lights patrolled the streets.

Swindle had no immediate explanation for why the shootings occurred. She said one victim was dead at the scene and another died at a hospital. No condition was available for the third victim.

Conway is about 30 miles north of Little Rock. UCA has 12,500 students.